The present invention relates to a ribbon cassette loaded on a printer.
Conventionally, an endless ink ribbon is stored in a ribbon cassette in a meandering state, and printing is effected by means of a print head of a printer by feeding the ink ribbon intermittently to a front surface of a platen. As regards ink ribbons, two types are available, one type being generally called a film ribbon and the other a fabric ribbon. Special ribbon cassettes that are adapted for the respective types have been specially used for the following reasons.
A fabric ribbon utilizes a fabric, i.e. a basic material impregnated with printing ink. A film ribbon utilizes a synthetic resin film as a basic material and ink is applied to one side of the film. The film ribbon is harder than the fabric ribbon since it uses a synthetic resin film as a basic material.
In addition, in the case of a ribbon cassette for a fabric ribbon, when the fabric ribbon is drawn out from a ribbon storage chamber in which the ribbon is stored in a meandering state, the ribbon enters a slit in a bent state provided in a wall member for partitioning the downstream side of the ribbon storage chamber, possibly resulting in jamming with the ribbon at the slit.
Hence, in order to draw out the ribbon smoothly from the ribbon storage chamber, an arrangement is provided such that a rib or projecting portion and the like are formed in the vicinity of the exit of the ribbon storage chamber so that the ribbon is drawn out properly by imparting sliding resistance to the ribbon, i.e., by applying a load to the travelling ribbon (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,364).
In the case of a film ribbon, however, since the basic material is harder, if the aforementioned rib or the like is formed in the vicinity of the slit of the ribbon storage chamber, the rib hampers the passage of the film ribbon.
Consequently, as regards ribbon cassette cases, a case for the fabric ribbon and a case for the film ribbon have been separately required in the conventional art. For this reason, separate molds for forming them are required, thereby increasing production costs.